GPT-6.1 Terra vs Microsoft Phi-4
OpenAI · US | Microsoft · US · Updated June 2026
Quick verdict
Pick GPT-6.1 Terra for $1/$5 per million tokens (cached input $0.05) - half the price of gpt-6.1 sol and gpt-5.6 terra or terminal-bench 4.0 of 50.3% at maximum reasoning effort, versus 21.5% for gpt-5.6 terra (openai-reported). Pick Microsoft Phi-4 for strong reasoning for a small 14b open-weight model or mit-licensed — fully self-hostable at no per-token cost. Choose Microsoft Phi-4 if you need self-hosting or data privacy; GPT-6.1 Terra if you want a managed API.
GPT-6.1 Terra (OpenAI) and Microsoft Phi-4 (Microsoft) are two of the models people most often weigh against each other in 2026. GPT-6.1 Terra is openAI's October 26, 2026 mid-tier model - a 1.05M-context, computer-use-capable GPT at $1/$5 per million tokens, half the price of its predecessor. Microsoft Phi-4 is microsoft's MIT-licensed 14B open model — strong reasoning for its size and very cheap, but a tiny 16K context and text-only. They diverge most on price, context window and open vs. closed weights — each quantified below from the models' real specs.
Key differences at a glance
- ▸Price: Microsoft Phi-4 is about 14× cheaper on input ($0.07/$0.14 per 1M tokens vs $1/$5 per 1M tokens) — a large enough gap that at scale it can be the single biggest line item in the decision.
- ▸Context window: GPT-6.1 Terra holds 64× more — 1.05M tokens (~1,575 pages) vs 16K (~25 pages). But effective recall usually fades long before the advertised ceiling, so the bigger number only helps if the model reasons over it.
- ▸Recency: GPT-6.1 Terra is the newer model by about 22 months (released October 26, 2026), usually meaning fresher training data and capabilities.
Side-by-side specs
| Spec | GPT-6.1 Terra | Microsoft Phi-4 |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | OpenAI (US) | Microsoft (US) |
| Released | October 26, 2026 | January 10, 2025 |
| Context window | 1.05M tokens (~1,575 pages) | 16K (~25 pages) |
| Price (in/out) | $1/$5 per 1M tokens | $0.07/$0.14 per 1M tokens |
| Open weight? | No — API only | Yes — self-hostable |
| Modalities | text, image, code | text, code |
| SWE-Bench Verified | Not published | Not published |
| MRCR v2 @ 1M | Not published | Not published |
Who wins what
$1/$5 per million tokens (cached input $0.05) - half the price of GPT-6.1 Sol and GPT-5.6 Terra
GPT-6.1 Terra
Its 1.05M tokens window holds about 64× more than Microsoft Phi-4's 16K in a single prompt.
Terminal-Bench 4.0 of 50.3% at maximum reasoning effort, versus 21.5% for GPT-5.6 Terra (OpenAI-reported)
GPT-6.1 Terra
OpenAI's October 26, 2026 mid-tier model - a 1.05M-context, computer-use-capable GPT at $1/$5 per million tokens, half the price of its predecessor — and it carries the larger 1.05M tokens context.
1.05M-token context with up to 128K output tokens, plus image input and computer use via the Responses API
GPT-6.1 Terra
Microsoft Phi-4 is comparatively weak here — a tiny 16K context — by far the smallest window in this comparison
Strong reasoning for a small 14B open-weight model
Microsoft Phi-4
Open weights make this possible at all — GPT-6.1 Terra is API-only, so it cannot leave the vendor's servers.
MIT-licensed — fully self-hostable at no per-token cost
Microsoft Phi-4
At $0.07/$0.14 per 1M tokens it undercuts GPT-6.1 Terra ($1/$5 per 1M tokens), and that gap compounds at volume.
Runs on modest or local hardware
Microsoft Phi-4
Microsoft's MIT-licensed 14B open model — strong reasoning for its size and very cheap, but a tiny 16K context and text-only — and it runs cheaper at $0.07/$0.14 per 1M tokens.
Lowest cost at scale
Microsoft Phi-4
At $0.07/$0.14 per 1M tokens, it is the cheaper of the two — the gap dominates the bill on high-volume workloads.
Largest single-prompt input
GPT-6.1 Terra
Its 1.05M tokens window is about 64× larger than Microsoft Phi-4's 16K, fitting roughly 1,575 pages in one prompt.
Which should you pick?
A cost-sensitive startup shipping high volume
→ Microsoft Phi-4
At $0.07/$0.14 per 1M tokens it undercuts GPT-6.1 Terra, and on millions of tokens that margin decides the monthly bill.
Someone analysing very long documents or codebases
→ GPT-6.1 Terra
Larger 1.05M tokens window fits more in one prompt.
A team with data-privacy or self-hosting needs
→ Microsoft Phi-4
Open weights let you run it on your own hardware; GPT-6.1 Terra is API-only.
Anyone whose priority is $1/$5 per million tokens (cached input $0.05) - half the price of gpt-6.1 sol and gpt-5.6 terra
→ GPT-6.1 Terra
It is specifically built for that.
Anyone whose priority is strong reasoning for a small 14b open-weight model
→ Microsoft Phi-4
That is its strongest area.
GPT-6.1 Terra: where it fits
OpenAI's October 26, 2026 mid-tier model - a 1.05M-context, computer-use-capable GPT at $1/$5 per million tokens, half the price of its predecessor. Released October 26, 2026 by OpenAI, it is built for $1/$5 per million tokens (cached input $0.05) - half the price of GPT-6.1 Sol and GPT-5.6 Terra, terminal-Bench 4.0 of 50.3% at maximum reasoning effort, versus 21.5% for GPT-5.6 Terra (OpenAI-reported), 1.05M-token context with up to 128K output tokens, plus image input and computer use via the Responses API, and error rate on OpenAI's hard-prompt set falls from 53.6% (GPT-5.6 Terra) to 16.7% at low effort and 4.3% at max effort.
Its trade-offs are real: openAI still positions Sol and Astra as the higher-capability choices for demanding coding problems, requests above 272K input tokens are billed at 2x input and 1.5x output for the whole request, closed weights and no fine-tuning support, and benchmark figures are vendor-reported; no SWE-bench Verified or MRCR numbers published. At $1 in / $5 out per million tokens, it sits in the budget price band.
Microsoft Phi-4: where it fits
Microsoft's MIT-licensed 14B open model — strong reasoning for its size and very cheap, but a tiny 16K context and text-only. Released January 10, 2025 by Microsoft, it is built for strong reasoning for a small 14B open-weight model, mIT-licensed — fully self-hostable at no per-token cost, runs on modest or local hardware, and very cheap hosted inference at about $0.07/$0.14.
Its trade-offs: a tiny 16K context — by far the smallest window in this comparison, text only — no image, audio or video input, an early-2025 small model, outclassed on hard tasks by 2026 flagships, and no first-party per-token API; hosted prices are third-party. At $0.07 in / $0.14 out per million tokens, it sits in the budget price band.
The bottom line for this matchup
The defining split here is open vs. closed. Microsoft Phi-4 gives you weights you control — self-host it, fine-tune it, keep data in-house, pay only for hardware. GPT-6.1 Terra gives you a managed, always-updated API with no infrastructure to run. Teams with GPUs, privacy requirements, or huge volume often favour the open model; teams that want zero ops and the latest capabilities favour the closed one. Capability is close enough that this operational question, not the benchmark, usually decides it.
Want both GPT-6.1 Terra and Microsoft Phi-4 without two subscriptions? LumiChats gives you these plus 40+ models under one ₹69/day pass (about $1/day) — draft with one, cross-check with the other.
See pricingFrequently asked questions
Is GPT-6.1 Terra or Microsoft Phi-4 better for coding?
Public SWE-Bench figures are not available for either model, so the honest test is your own repository — run an identical real bug through both. By design, GPT-6.1 Terra leans toward $1/$5 per million tokens (cached input $0.05) - half the price of gpt-6.1 sol and gpt-5.6 terra while Microsoft Phi-4 leans toward strong reasoning for a small 14b open-weight model, and that positioning usually predicts which feels better on your codebase.
Which is cheaper, GPT-6.1 Terra or Microsoft Phi-4?
Microsoft Phi-4 is open-weight, so self-hosting means no per-token fee (you pay for hardware instead), while GPT-6.1 Terra is API-metered at $1/$5 per 1M tokens. For most teams without GPUs, the API model is cheaper to start; at very high volume, self-hosting can win.
Which has the bigger context window?
GPT-6.1 Terra — 1.05M tokens vs 16K, about 64× larger. Useful only if the model actually reasons over the full window, which not all do.
Can I use both GPT-6.1 Terra and Microsoft Phi-4 together?
Yes — a multi-model platform like LumiChats gives you GPT-6.1 Terra, Microsoft Phi-4 and 40+ others under one ₹69/day pass (about $1/day), so you can draft with one and cross-check with the other instead of buying two subscriptions.
Which is newer, GPT-6.1 Terra or Microsoft Phi-4?
GPT-6.1 Terra — released October 26, 2026, about 22 months after Microsoft Phi-4.
Related comparisons
Specifications and benchmarks reflect publicly reported figures as of June 2026 and may change as providers release updates. Always verify on your own workload.